The invention relates to a level control system for a vehicle and to a method for operating a level control system for a vehicle, having a pressure generator for generating a pressure difference between a pressure medium reservoir and at least one pressure-controlled actuating device by means of which it is possible to set a prescribed vehicle body level, and having a valve device for carrying out an overflow process between the pressure medium reservoir and the at least one pressure-controlled actuating device.
Such a level control system for a vehicle emerges from application DE 100 06 024 C1. The level control system has at least one air spring that can be filled with compressed air in order to raise the vehicle body. If it is established on the basis of a pressure difference generated by using a compressor between a compressed air reservoir and the at least one air spring that the air pressure in the compressed air reservoir is greater than that in the at least one air spring, then in order to raise the vehicle body the at least one air spring is firstly connected to the compressed air reservoir by actuating a valve device in such a way that compressed air overflows from the compressed air reservoir into the at least one air spring. In this case, the air pressure in the air spring increasingly approximates to that in the compressed air reservoir.
If the pressure difference present between the compressed air reservoir and the at least one air spring reaches a prescribed threshold value that corresponds substantially to the production of a pressure equilibrium between the compressed air reservoir and the at least one air spring, and if it is established that there is a further need to fill the at least one air spring in order to raise the vehicle body to the desired level, this is performed by additional actuation of the compressor.
It is disadvantageous that the compressor is actuated only once a pressure equilibrium has substantially been set between the compressed air reservoir and the at least one air spring. Time delays in carrying out the raising operation are then unavoidable.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to develop a device and/or a method of the type mentioned at the beginning in such a way that a prescribed vehicle body level can be set largely without delay on the basis of carrying out an overflow process between the pressure medium reservoir and the at least one pressure-controlled actuating device.